Value Similarity and Norm Change: Null Effects and Backlash to Messaging on Same-Sex Rights in Uganda

Abstract

Many socially conservative settings oppose pro-LGBT+ advocacy because of its perceived threat to “traditional values.” Can messaging on these issues from sources considered to have similar values be more effective than messaging from sources considered to have different values? This research uses the move towards legal protection of certain LGBT+ rights in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and South Africa to understand whether signals of changing social norms from African sources are better able to shift perspectives of those elsewhere on the continent than primes from Western sources. Using a survey experiment conducted in Uganda, I show that neither one-off messaging from African sources nor one-off messaging from Western sources shifts beliefs or behavior on LGBT+ issues. Rather, these messages produce backlash to both African and Western sources. This work highlights the challenges of attempting to rapidly change perspectives on LGBT+ issues in the most socially conservative settings.